Even if the recipe name sounds like a few rounds of word association, there’s nothing disjointed about the flavors in this ice cream. Fresh strawberries are mashed with sugar to draw out its nectar and folded with cheesecake ice cream. The rich custard base is blended with cream cheese and lightened with lemon zest and juice.

It has to involve some form of graham crackers to be called a cheesecake, so I baked small rounds of graham cracker crust and served the ice cream on top.

Let’s make this fun and keep the word association going. Take a look at the most recent entry and think of any word that comes to mind. Please leave a lovely comment (preferably G-rated) and add the word you have just thunk (can be NC-17). Let’s see where it goes.

I’ll start: sandwich.

The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey’s Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.

recipe components adapted from Wayne Gisslen’s Professional Baking

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
on Graham Cracker Crust Rounds

makes about 1 1/2 to 2 quarts of ice cream
and eight 3-inch graham cracker crust rounds

Self-restraint is a virtue.

Special Equipment:

• an ice cream maker

For the Strawberries:

1 pound fresh strawberries, trimmed and quartered
1/2 cup granulated sugar

Directions:

1. Mash the strawberries with the sugar to the desired level of chunkiness.
2. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before mixing with the cheesecake ice cream.

Time elapsed: 2 hours.

For the Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream:

3 egg yolks
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
a pinch of salt

1 pound cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

all of the strawberries

For the Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream Directions:

1. Prepare a double boiler.
2. Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until thick and light. In a saucepan, bring the milk to a gentle simmer. Remove from the heat and slowly add to the egg yolks while stirring.
3. Heat over a double boiler while stirring constantly, just until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
4. Remove immediately from the heat. Stir in the cold cream to stop the cooking, followed by the vanilla extract and salt. Strain using a fine mesh strainer.
5. Cool the custard completely at room temperature. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
6. Using a wooden spoon or the paddle attachment of your stand mixer, beat the cream cheese with the sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice until light and smooth.
7. Slowly add the chilled ice cream base and mix until smooth.
8. Churn, churn, churn.
9. In a large chilled bowl, fold in the sugared strawberries. You can also pour the strawberries directly into the ice cream maker if it can handle the volume.
10. Serve immediately for a soft-serve consistency or store in an airtight container and freeze.

For the Graham Cracker Crust:

Notes:

• The graham cracker crust recipe will be enough for a 9-inch pie pan. Bake for about 10 minutes at the same temperature.

Graham Cracker Crust Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF / 175ºC. Prepare a sheet pan lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
2. Mix together the graham cracker crumbs and the sugar. Add the melted butter and continue mixing until well-blended and thoroughly moistened.
3. Divide the graham cracker crumb mixture into 8 equal portions and evenly space on the lined sheet pan. Flatten and tightly pack the crumbs into rounds about 3 inches wide (I used a 3-inch cookie cutter to help shape the crust).
4. Bake at 350ºF / 175ºC for about 8 minutes.
5. Let the graham cracker crust cool completely before removing from the sheet pan.

Ready to go. Where’s the ice cream?

To Serve:

Place a graham cracker crust on a small plate. Set a generous scoop of strawberry cheesecake ice cream on the crust and enjoy.

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

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If, in a cheese bread recipe, you were told to deeply cut into the proofed dough to allow the cheese to ooze out while baking, wouldn’t you be interested in seeing what happens? The potential for a crusty-smoky mess in the oven is high, but don’t let that keep you from trying this recipe out.

The water used for cooking the potatoes is the hydrating agent of choice, so don’t forget to reserve it afterwards. Potato water does magical things to bread. It noticeably softens the crumb and somehow makes the crust more thin and crackly.

With freshly chopped chives kneaded into the dough, the bread reminds me of a baked potato. It’s just begging to be served with a side of sour cream and bacon (probably not a good idea but worth a try).

recipe adapted from Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice
Bread Baking Day #19: Spring Country Bread hosted by Cindystar
Yeastspotting at Wild Yeast Blog

Potato, Cheddar Cheese, and Chive Bread
(using a liquid sourdough starter)

makes 2 large loaves

For the Liquid Sourdough Starter:

Liquid Sourdough Starter Directions:

1. Place the liquid starter in a bowl. Pour the water over the starter and stir to dissolve. Add the flour and mix until thoroughly hydrated.
2. Place in a bowl and cover. Let stand at room temperature for about 24 hours before using in the final dough.

For the Final Dough:

Potato, Cheddar Cheese, and Chive Bread Directions:

Boil the Potatoes. In a medium saucepan, bring about 3 cups of water to a boil. Add the coarsely chopped potatoes and simmer until soft. Drain, reserving the water. Let the potatoes cool completely before continuing.

Mix. In a large bowl, mix together the sourdough starter, half of the flour, half of the lukewarm potato water, instant yeast, and the cooked potatoes until evenly incorporated. Try to mash the potatoes into the dough at this time.

Rest. 30 minutes

Mix. Add the rest of the flour, lukewarm potato water, and salt. Continue mixing until a shaggy ball of dough is formed.

Knead for 6 to 8 minutes, until the dough is only slightly sticky. Add the chives towards the end of kneading.

Bulk Ferment. 90 minutes at room temperature, or until about double its original size.

Prepare a sheet pan lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper.

Divide. 2 pieces

Preshape. Pat the dough into rectangles about 6 inches wide by 8 inches long. Layer the slices of cheese on the dough.

Shape. Roll the dough beginning from the 6-inch side to form a spiral of cheese within. Shape into tight ovals.

Final Proof. 60 minutes at room temperature, or until about 1 1/2 times its original size.

Preheat Oven. 450ºF / 230ºC

Score. 1 or 2 deep diagonal cuts, until you reach the layer of cheese inside the dough.

Steam. 1 cup of boiling water poured in a heavy steam pan (preferably cast iron).

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes at 450ºF / 230ºC, rotating the loaves halfway through baking if necessary. The loaves will register about 200ºF / 93ºC in the center. The cheese may ooze out of the cuts and form a crust.

Cool for at least 45 minutes before slicing and serving.

Crusty cheese or cheesy crust?

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Potato, Cheddar Cheese, and Chive Bread

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6. Ensaimada – Filipino Cheese Brioche

A Croque Madame is a grilled cheese and smoked ham sandwich topped with a sunny side up egg. I used Black Forest ham, Gruyère cheese, and whole wheat sourdough bread because I want to be known as That Guy who makes a mean sandwich.

Within minutes, this mini-sandwich was reduced to traces of errant crumbs and fingertip grease. No egg yolk dribbled and wasted.

Skip on the fried egg you sissy and you end up with a Croque Monsieur. Who knew that eggs can define gender? Oh, nevermind.

The sudden need to make such a sandwich came from an unexpected source. You may have heard that expressing random thoughts in 140 characters or less is what the cool kids are doing right now. You’re not limited to digital words, though. You can also tweet links to photos of all things mundane. Such as dinner.

Which leads to this awe-inspiring photo of Croque Madame served with tempura green beans. Does that look good or what?

Now go make your own or visit the Paramount Room if you’re in the neighborhood.

recipe adapted from Nancy Silverton’s Sandwich Book: The Best Sandwiches Ever
Grilled Cheese Pageant hosted by Kathy

Croque Madame
Grilled Cheese and Ham Sandwich Topped with a Fried Egg

makes 1 sandwich

Ingredients:

2 slices crusty white OR whole wheat bread (preferably sourdough) OR brioche
softened butter
2 ounces Gruyère cheese, thinly sliced
3 to 4 ounces smoked ham, preferably Black Forest, thinly sliced

1 fried egg, sunny side up
kosher salt or coarse sea salt, to taste
freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Brush one side of each slice of bread lightly with softened butter. With the buttered side down, evenly cover one slice of bread with cheese and smoked ham. Place the second slice of bread on top, buttered side up.
2. Place the sandwich in a preheated panini-style grill or between a hot cast iron skillet and press. Grill until the bread is sizzling and lightly browned.
3. Top the grilled sandwich with the fried egg. Season with salt and pepper.

A Croque Monsieur about to be emasculated by… laying an egg on top? Alright, then.

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Croque Madame – Grilled Cheese, Ham, and Egg Sandwich

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Edam cheese is essential for making ensaimada. Filipinos know it best as queso de bola, bowling balls of cheesiness covered in a protective shell of red wax. These big-as-your-head cheese balls always made our dinner table during christmastime. We have this tradition of rounding up thirteen different types of spherical fruits to symbolize prosperity for the new year, so queso de bola fits in quite nicely, if I do say so myself.

No one ever told me that the waxy coating on queso de bola was, in fact, actual wax. Other kids voluntarily ate glue; I unknowingly ate paraffin. Copious amounts of it. Needless to say, I hated queso de bola with a passion, but continued to eat it anyway because everyone else seemed to enjoy it.

Now that I know better, I always keep a wedge on hand. I find Edam plain and inoffensive as far as cheese goes, but finely grated and baked with sweet brioche dough, we end up with a well-loved Filipino bread along the ranks of pan de sal and pan de leche. There are many other ways to enjoy queso de bola, of course.

Storebought versions are more like sponge cakes heavily topped with sugar, cheese, and butter. This breadier version has a fluffy interior, deeply browned flaky crust, and a nice buttery finish. I prefer to keep ensaimada plain because there’s enough cheese, butter, and sweetness in the bread itself, but there’s nothing wrong with a light dusting after baking. I listed a number of optional glazes and toppings.

This recipe for ensaimada benefits from an overnight rest in the fridge mainly to maximize flavor development. It really makes a huge difference in taste and texture. The dough is filled with cheese and coiled into snail-shaped rounds, so chilling also makes shaping easier, fun even.

Bread Baking Day #16: Bread with Cheese hosted by High on the Hog

Ensaimada (Snail-Shaped Brioche)
Filipino-Style with Edam Cheese

makes 4 ensaimadas (about 6 inches in diameter)

Dutch Edam cheese. Red wax is not good eats.

Ensaimada Dough Ingredients:

Ingredients                  Volume          Ounces          Grams
bread flour                   2 2/3 cups         12            340
whole milk                        2 tbsp          1             28
large eggs                        5               8.8          250
instant yeast                 1 1/4 tsp
salt                            1/3 tsp
granulated sugar                1/4 cup           2             56
unsalted butter, softened       1/2 cup           4            113
grated Edam cheese          about 1 cup

Optional Glaze (before baking):

egg wash (1 egg + 1 teaspoon water)

Optional Toppings (after cooling and baking):

softened butter
granulated sugar
grated Edam cheese

Directions:

Mix             Stir the flour, milk, eggs, yeast, salt, and sugar.
                Mix until evenly hydrated and a shaggy ball of dough
                is formed.

Rest            15 minutes

Knead           Add the butter about a tablespoon at a time, kneading
                to incorporation with each addition. Continue kneading
                until all of the butter is incorporated and a smooth
                ball of dough is formed.

Refrigerate     12 to 24 hours

Prepare a sheet pan lined with parchment or silicone.

Divide          Remove from the refrigerator and immediately divide
                into 4 pieces. The dough will be stiff and may have
                risen slightly.

Rest            15 to 30 minutes. The dough should be slightly softer
                but still cool to the touch.

Shape           Pat the balls of dough into a rectangular shape, about
                4 inches by 12 inches. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup of grated
                Edam cheese over the dough. Roll tightly into logs and
                pinch the seams to seal.

                Coil the rolled dough into a tight spiral and tuck the
                outer end underneath the dough. Proofing the shaped
                dough in appropriately sized brioche or tart pans is
                nice but not necessary.

                Place the shaped ensaimada on the lined sheet pan.

Final Proof     About 2 hours at room temperature

Preheat Oven    350ºF / 175ºC

Glaze           Glaze with egg wash (optional)

Bake            Bake for 20 to 24 minutes at 350ºF / 175ºC, rotating
                the pan halfway through baking. The center of the loaf
                will register 185ºF / 85ºC to 190ºF / 88ºC when done. 

Cool            At least 30 minutes

Toppings        Top with any combination of softened butter, granulated
                sugar, or grated Edam cheese (optional)

The fourth one didn’t make it for the shoot.

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Ensaimada – Filipino Cheese Brioche

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One thing that can go wrong with baked whole pumpkins is incinerating it into mush. Filled with cream and Gruyère cheese, you’ll know when the pumpkin is overcooked. It will likely collapse into a deflated mound of white and orange laced with strings of melted Gruyère. The semi-successful dish will still be delicious, as long as the cream spills into a baking dish instead of the oven floor.

That’s my long-winded way of saying that you can’t mess this non-recipe up.

The pumpkin top is sliced off to serve as its own lid and the structural integrity of the baked pumpkin depends on the carving method. Instead of cutting off the tops horizontally in one stroke, use a narrow pointed knife and slice around the stem at a 45 degree angle. Just don’t forget to watch those fingers.

recipe adapted from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage Cookbook
Monthly Mingle: Sensational Sides hosted by Ruth’s Kitchen Experiments

Whole Pumpkin Baked with Cream and Gruyère Cheese

makes 4 to 6 servings

a pumpkin weighing about 2 pounds
Gruyère cheese or any melting cheese, up to 1 pound
a few cups of cream
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
a knob of butter

Notes:

• A 2-pound pumpkin is about the same size as a cantaloupe.
• Use smaller individual-sized pumpkins and adjust the baking time accordingly.
• Don’t throw away the pumpkin seeds. Rinse off the pulp and spread out the pumpkin seeds on a half sheet pan in a single layer . Bake along with the filled pumpkin for about 30 minutes, or until browned and crispy. Toasted pumpkin seeds can be eaten whole.

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375ºF/191ºC.

Using a narrow pointed knife, slice around the stem of the pumpkin at a 45-degree angle. Scoop out pulp and seeds. Fill the pumpkin with grated Gruyère cheese until about a third full.

Fill the pumpkin with cream until about two-thirds full. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Throw in a knob of butter, because we all know that pumpkins and butter always pair well.

Replace the pumpkin top. The filled pumpkin is now ready to bake.

Bake at 375ºF/191ºC for about 45 minutes to 1 1/4 hours, until tender and spoonable. Check the pumpkins for doneness by removing the lid and poking it with a knife or skewer.

To Serve:

Scoop out the pumpkin flesh with the cream and cheese into warmed soup bowls. Serve piping hot.

Witch’s brew, now with 400% more calories!

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Whole Pumpkin Baked with Cream and Cheese

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Finding this Norwegian brown cheese at the local cheesemonger means that I finally get to break 90% with the omnivore’s hundred list. Cue applause here. If you’ve been living under a foodblog-free rock the past month or so, you can find the original list at Very Good Taste. I’m probably only 1 of 3 people who bothers to update my list, getting a rush whenever another item gets marked off, but it’s all in good clean fun.

Luckily, for people with a propensity to bite into brown cubes with reckless abandon, Ski Queen® Cheese comes wrapped with directions and a visual aid for serving.

Note that the use of a cheese plane is recommended instead of a cheese knife or a cheese wire cutter, presumably to get the attractive brown curls illustrated on the wrapper.

Ski Queen® is made with a mix of whey from cow’s milk and goat’s milk, although other brands may exclusively contain either one. Unwrapping reveals a molded semi-firm block that looks like caramel, because, well, that’s essentially what it is. Milk is evaporated over low heat to concentrate and caramelize the sugars, resulting in a browned and slightly sweetened product.

Once evaporated to the proper consistency, Brunost is molded into blocks and undergoes no aging before finding its way to your grocery shelf. The distinctive taste of fresh goat’s milk is still somewhat noticeable.

Don’t mind the fingerprint.

The thick but almost spreadable consistency of Brunost lends itself well to anything crisp and crunchy, be it crackers, toasted bread, or thinly sliced apples and pears.

Related Links for Brunost / Gjetost Cheese:

• Jugalbandi
• 365 Cheeses

La Fête du Fromage hosted by Chez Loulou

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Brunost / Gjetost – Brown Cheese from Norway

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The current object of my cheese obsession, the grill-worthy Finnish Juustoleipa, is quite enjoyable broiled until slightly charred but still firm and squeaky. Being a fresh cheese, it stays relatively mild even with the heating and can definitely use a bit of help to make it more interesting.

If there’s anything I learned from the entries in Haalo’s cheese roundup, some fruits pair well with cheese. Raspberries can add a bit of tartness and texture to go with the creaminess of the Juustoleipa. Randomly picked from the produce aisle, cape gooseberries contribute sweetness and a bit of unconventionality to the mix.

The thinking behind this simple recipe is fairly straightforward. Keep the berries fresh (always a good idea), torch the cheese (because you can), and use honey so it can be considered a dessert, and hopefully eligible for entry in this month’s Sugar High Fridays.

Sugar High Fridays: Berries hosted by Food Blogga

Berries and Grilled Cheese Skewers with Honey

makes 6 skewers

raspberries and cape gooseberries

a dozen assorted berries
6 cubes grilling cheese, such as Juustoleipa or Halloumi (approximately 2 ounces)
honey

Notes:

• Use any variety of berry jam or preserves instead of the honey.

Preheat a broiler or take over the nearest available hot grill. Heat the cheese cubes until slightly softer but still firm, about 1 minute.

Skewer two berries for each cheese cube, or in any proportion desired. Drizzle with honey and serve.

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Berries and Grilled Cheese Skewers

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What do wine, beer, and cheese aficionados all have in common? They speak in a dialect I don’t quite understand. Whereas the aforementioned obsessives use colorful language to describe their indulgence of choice, my vocabulary is limited to “I like” and “…”

Here’s an example:
Yeasty notes. Citrus esters come out to play – more orange than lemon. Slight banana. Not much else is perceptible. I look for spiciness, but find none.

I look for meaning, but find confusion.

So here’s my review of Juustoleipä from Brunkow Cheeses in Wisconsin:
I like.

Say Cheese hosted by Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once

I first heard about this cheese from the food nerds at LTHForum, the Chicago-based culinary chat site. Much like Halloumi, this firm fresh cheese can be torched without turning into a puddle of oily goo. To make it blatantly obvious that Juustoleipä can stand heat, it even comes pre-broiled, sporting a charred crust resembling toasted bread. Grilling or broiling it a second time further enhances its mild flavor and gives it a crackly crust and creamy interior.

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Juustoleipä – Finnish Bread Cheese

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Leave it to Top Chefs to come up with interesting seasonal recipes using fresh produce from farmers’ markets. This pickled rhubarb and asparagus side dish is from Stephanie Izard, winner of Top Chef Chicago, but it’s nowhere to be found in Bravo TV’s collection of recipes from the show. It was posted in Green City Market’s website back when she was the executive chef of now-defunct Scylla.

Stumbling upon a list of recipes from Chicago’s well-regarded chefs is such an interesting find for me. Surprisingly, most of the dishes seem accessible enough while taking advantage of the season’s best offerings.

A quick search for rhubarb recipes usually turns up desserts so this savory preparation really stood out from the rest.

recipe adapted from Green City Market

Pickled Rhubarb with Roasted Asparagus and Pistachio Roll Cheese

For the pickled rhubarb:

rhubarb stalks, sliced thinly
1 cup sugar
1 cup white balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon salt

Bring the sugar, vinegar, and salt to a boil. As soon as all of the sugar is dissolved, pour over the sliced rhubarb. Let stand for at least 3 hours.

To Serve:

Serve with crisp roasted asparagus. I had some fresh cheese rolled in pistachios and it was the perfect substitute for the goat cheese and almonds suggested in the original recipe.

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Rhubarb and Asparagus Top Chef Style

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